Illuminated electric fountain



April 14, 1925.. -v 1,533,738- Y J. l. KANE ET AP 4 ILLUMIN TED ELECTRIC FOUNTAIN Filed July 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS V ATTOR EY5.'

April 14, 1925. 1,533,738

Y J. I. KANE ET AL 3 ILLUMINATED ELECTRIC FOUNTAIN Filed Jul'y 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Shan 2 3 INVENTORS J JIM Patented A r. 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH I. KANE, 0F ANGELES, AND HENRY W. A. FUHRMANN, OF ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA, A'SSIGITORS, BYJVLESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO .EUGENE JOHN PINEAU,

OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ILLUMQINATED ELEo'rnIo FOUNTAIN.

Application filed .l'uly 21, 1921. Serial No. 486,390.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrn I. KANE and I'IENRY lV.- A. 'FUHRMANN, citizens of the United States, residing at Los Angeles and at Alhambra, respectively, in the county of Los Angel-Gs and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Electric Fountains, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an illuminated electric fountain, the principal object of our invention .being to provide a unique and attractive display device in which is combined colored lights'and jets of water, and which device provides an interesting, attractive and pleasing article of decoration. that may be utilized in a show window or fordecora tive purposeson a pedestal, or on a dining table.

-Further objects of our invention are to provide a relatively simple apparatus'that is capable of being readily shifted from one position to another, and, further, to provide an effective and pleasing display device that may be very economically operated.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, our invention consists in certain new and novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in.

which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the center of the fountain.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1..

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 1.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 10 designates a ring shaped frame having suitabl supporting legs 11, and removably positioned in said frame is a shallow pan or container 12 within which is formed a centrally arranged depression or pocket 13.

Leading radially outward from' this pocket 13 is a duct 14, the outer end thereof communicating, by means of a port 15 that is formed in the bottom -of the pan 12, with tioned within the pan 12 adjacent to its her 16.

Arranged over the pocket 13 is a plate 20 marginal wall,'and said partition being substantially L-shaped in cross section.

Formed in the upper portion of this partition 17 is aseries of jet openings 18 that are adapted to direct jets ofwater from the chamber 16 beneath said partition upwardly and inwardly with respect to' the axis or center of the pan.

k screw 19 is seated in the bottom of the pan 12 in position to beprojected into the port 15, thereby providing simple means for regulating the flow of water from duct 14 through port 15, into the annular chamin the center of which is formed an opening 21, and passing through said opening is thevertically disposed hub member 22 of a bladed impeller 23 that occupies the pocket 13; Supported upon a suitable framework 24.- that is positioned over plate 20 is a small electricf'motor 25, and the upper end of hub 22 is removably secured to the lower end of the armature. shaft 26 of said motor. Enclosing the upper port-ion of the motor 25 1s a housing 27, and arranged therein and secured to the upper end of the armature shaft 26 is a small fan .28, and which latter, in operation, serves to draw anthrough the field of the motor for the purpose of cooling the same. Located on top of housing 2'7 is a small electric lamp 29".

A hollow dome-shaped men'iber 32. of glass or similar transparent material, is positioned 'over the motor 25, lamp 29 and associated parts, and the lower edge of said dome-shaped member rests upon short posts 33 that project upwardly from the bottom of pan l2.

In the operation, the current is turned on through port 15 into the annular chamber 16, and, from said annular chamber, the

water will discharge in jets through open-.

ings 18 and be directed thereby upwardly andinwardly so as to fall onto the. top of the transparent dome 32; and this water ing effect on the armature of the motor, thus minimizing the friction between the arma=- ture shaft. and its bearings.

The hub of the impeller 23 is extended downward through the bottom of its pocket 13 and receives a beveled pinion 47 that meshes with a pinion 48 and the latter be ing carried'on theinner end of a shaft 49 that is journaled in suitably located bearings 50 and which carries on its outer end a beveled pinion 51. This pinion 51, meshes with a corresponding pinion 52 that is secured on the lower end of a vertically disposed shaft 53 and. the latter extending upward through a tubular member 54 that rests .on

the splash plate 34" and which serves as one of the supp'orting'members for a horizontally disposed plate 55 that occupies a plane a short distance above the top of the transj parent doine 32.

Formedin the center of plate 55, directly above the center of dome 32 is an. opening that is closed by a planoconvex lens 56, and, journaled on a stud or pin 57 that is seated in plate 55'to one side of the lens 56,- i is a horizontally disposed circular frame 58- that carries a series of segmental sections, 59 of difler'ently colored glass or analogous. transparent material. The edge of frame 58 is provided with teeth 60, and engaging therewith are the teeth of a pinion 61 that is carried by the upper end of shaft 53.

The frame 58 is of such size that the soginenls 5!) of coloredglass are adapted 'to traverse a path immediately above the lens 56. Supported in any suitable manner immediately above thelens 56 is a skeleton frame,'- comprising a lower ring 62, an upper ring 63 and a series of rods 64 connecting said rings. Thisframe serves as a support for a vertically disposed cylinder 65 of frosted glass or the like, and arranged within said cylinder is an electric lamp 66.

\Vhen the apparatus is operated, motor 25 drives impeller 23 to effect a circulation of water in the pan forming the base of the V I, r I apparatus ahd forcing said water, injet form, upwardly onto the dome 32. The rotary motion of" the motor shaft is trans' mitted, through shafts49 and 53,}to pinion 61, and from the 'lattertothe rotatably x mounted frame 58.

As this frame is'rotated the segments 59 of colored glass successively pass directly over lens 56 and beneathlamp 66, with the result that differently colored rays of light 3 I I are successively thrown downward ontothe dome and the jets of water thrown there producing a pleasing and onto, thereby novel effect.

, The upper portion of this apparatus may,

shaped can'opy67, and which latter may be if desired, be covered with an umbrellaformed of transparent or semi-transparent material such as 'glass, celluloid, orthin *fabr1c.

The fan carried by the upper end of the armature shaft of the motor is effective in prod'ucin a'circula-tion of air through the chamber eneath the dome. that is positioned over the motor, -said air being drawn into i the dome beneath its lower edge immedi-- ately adjacent to the surface of the ,water,

and thus the motor is constantly cooled by the air current While the apparatus isgin operation.

An illuminated electric fountain of our comparatlvely improved construction is simple, may be easily and cheaply-produced,

requires relatively little power for its operation a d provides a novel and pleasing decorative structure that may be used for a variety of purposes.

Obviously minor changes in the s1ze, form and construction-of the various partsof our 4 improved electric fountain may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of our invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

' We claim as our invention: a

"A fountain comprising a tra 'isparent housing, a motor operated impeller for spraying water about the housing, illuminating meanswvithin the housing, a lens above the housing, a lamp above the lens, rotatable coloring means interposed between the lamp and lens, and means operatively connecting said motor with said coloring means to impart rotation thereto.

In testimony whereof we. have signed our names to this specification.

JOSEPH I. KANE.- HENRY TV. A. FUl-IRMANN. 

